Card holding device



July 24, 1934. v M, M, LLAK 1,967,780

CARD HOLDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR MonroeM. Po lla ATTORN y 24, 1934- M. M. POLLAK CARD HOLDING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11. 1932 INVENTOR Monroe M.Pqllak.

Patented July 24, 1934 PATENT OFFICE CARD HOLDING DEVICE Monroe M.Pollak,

Application October 11,

Claims.

This invention relates to card holding devices, and more particularly toa device for facilitating the teaching of the art of playing card games,especially the games of contract and auction I5 bridge whist.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above naturewhich is designed to hold a dealt hand of cards in open visible fanlikeformation, so as to permit the individual cards to be Withdrawntherefrom, one at a time, without disturbing the remaining cards.

A furtherobject is to provide a card holderof the above nature which maybe used to display a dummy'hand, or by employing four of such cardholders, to display all four hands in view of the instructor andstudents.

A' further object is to provide a card holder of the above nature whichwill be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy tomanipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance.

and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on theaccompanying drawings, several forms in which the invention may beconveniently embodied in practice.

In the-drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective top view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same taken along the line 2-2 of'Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows. a 1 I Fig. 3 is a perspectiverear view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a modified form of spring clipfor use on the card holding board.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of card holding board inwhich the holder clip is designed to hold only a single card.

Fig. 7 is a further modified form of card holding board adapted to restupon a card table or tobe hung upon a wall or screen. I

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a card table upon which a plurality of cardholding boards have been arranged.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of card holding boardemploying only a single spring clip and a cooperating spaced cushioningmeans.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 9 of a further modifiedform of the invention.

The present invention is especially designed for use by instructors fordemonstrating the art of Waterbury, Conn.

1932, Serial No. 637,271 (01. 35-42) bidding and playing auction andcontract bridge whist to one or more students.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10indicates a fiat board or base, preferably trapezoidal in shape, towhich are attached four tapered angular spring clips 11, 12, 13 and 14,each of which is adapted to hold one of the four suits of the hand. Eachclip is preferably slitted at its upper free end to increase theflexibility thereof and is attached at its lower end to the board 10 bymeans of a tubular eyelet 15.

Spaced from the clips, as best shown in Fig. l, are a similar number ofcooperating cushion pads 16, 1'7, 18 and 19, the two lower pads 18 and19 being preferably made slightly larger than the upper two pads 16 and17 in order to accommodate the longer suits of the hand. Each of thepads 16, 1'7, 18 and 19 is preferably formed in a taper ing arcuateshape, gradually increasing in width and height from left to right. Thepads are also preferably wedge shaped in cross-section, with their topfaces inclined downwardly toward the position of the spring. clips.

The cushion pads 16, 17, 18 and 19 are preferably made of soft spongerubber, and have a plurality of ribs or corrugations 20, or any otherform of tread, formed on their top surfaces for the purpose of producingsufficient friction so that the glossy surfaces of the playing cards 21,not desired, will be retained when the desired card is being'withdrawnfrom the suit, which is preferably arranged fan-shaped, as shown inphantom in Fig. 1.

Each of the clips 11, 12, 13 and 14 is provided on the underside of itsfree end with a friction pad 22, substantially half -round incross-section. and said pads 22 are pressed downwardly by the resiliencyof the metal of said clips for holding the lower section of said cardsagainst the top of the board 10.

The pads 22 are preferably made of rubber and are secured to the clips11, 12, 13 and 14 by means of a pair of converging inclined ribs 23 and24 formed integral with said clips, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to reduce the drag upon the top card, and thus permit it to bemore easily withdrawn when desired, each pad 22 is provided at itsrighthand end with a section 26 of relatively harder material than theremainder of said pad.

The rear surface of the board 10, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided withfour anti-skid nubs or feet 27, 28, 29 and 30, preferably made of rubber119 and adapted to support the board 10 upon a table top or any othersmooth surface. The two rearmost feet 27 and 28 are preferably madeslightly higher than the two front ones 29 and 30, so as to give theboard 10 a slight inclination.

If it is desired to support the board 10 at a greater angle, provisionis made of a pair of fold-- able tapering flaps 31 and 32, hingedlyattached to the rear of the board 10 in a converging manner, as by meansof strips of gurnnied mending tape 33, as shown in Fig. 3. When it isdesired to use the flaps 31 and 32, they will be swung out from theboard 16 and fastened together with their upper ends in abutment bymeans of a short lacing 33a passing through a pair of eyelets 34 locatedadjacent the upper edges of saidrlaps 31 and 32, and tied in a bow-knot.With the two flaps thus held together, a sort of easel support for theboard 10 will be produced.

In order to reduce slippage of the board upon the card table, orskidding, the supporting edges 31a and 32a of the flaps 31 and '32 areeach preferably provided with thin flexible rubber fins 35 and 36projecting a short distance outwardly from said edges. When the flaps 31and'32 are notin use, they may be folded down flat against the back ofthe board 10, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and held in thatposition by passing the lacing 33a under a spring clip 3'7, suitablyattached to the back of the board 10 adjacent its upper edge, as by aneyelet 370..

In order to give sufiicient weight to the board 10, and also to renderit immune to changes in weather conditions, the board 16 is preferablybuilt up in thin plies or laminations, three in this instance. Themiddle ply preferably consists of a thin plate 38 of metal, such aslead, while the outer plies 39 and 40 are preferably made of cardboard,said plies being joined together in any desired manner, as by aplurality of rivet eyelets 41, cement, or both. Theedges of the board 10will preferably be suitably bound with a narrow strip of'book binderscloth 42 or like material.

It is to be understood while the anti-skid means for the board is hereinshown as nubs 2'7, 23, 29 and 30, and the rubber fins 35 and 36, it iswithin the scope of the invention to employ other devices, such asvacuum suction cups.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of spring clip 43 is shown having a taperinginclined section 44 provided with a transverse V -shaped rib 45 in orderto render said clip more flexible. The short flat apertured section 46,by means of which the clip 43 is secured to the board 10, is providedwith a pair of downturned blunt lugs 4'7 and 48 adapted to be imbeddedin the cardboard cover 39 for preventing the clips from beingaccidentally rotated during use.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of a card holding board 49 provided withfour equally spaced spring clips 50 anchored to the board, as by eyelets51. The clips 50 have upwardly curved sections 50a to facilitate theinsertion of the cards thereunder. The upper sections of the cards 21are adapted to be supported in an inclined position with respect to theface of the board 49 by means of four rubber cushion nubs 52 located ashort distance above and in alinernent with the clips 56.

The form of clip shown in Fig. 6 is adapted to hold only a single cardat a time, and the board 49 with its assembly of four clips 50 and fournubs 52 is designed to receive the cards as played from the four hands,so that the complete trick may be conveniently viewed at a glance.

Fig. '7 shows a further modified form of a card holding board 53 havinga suspending cord 53a attached to its upper corners and passing over ahook 54 or other supporting device mounted on a vertical wall. The board53 is provided with four sets of card holding clamps 55 and cooperatingcushion pads 56, arranged at the north, east, south, and west playingpositions, said .postions designated by the numerals 5'7, 58, 59 and 60,respectively. The center of the board 53 is provided with a trickholding section 61 constructed similar to the trick board 49, shown inFig. 6. As herein shown, the cushion pads 56 are formed in the shape ofhearts, clubs, diamonds and spades for indicating the respectivepositions in which the four suits of the dealt hand are to be placed.

Fig. 8 shows a plan View of a, card table 62 having arranged thereuponfour card holding boards 63, 64, 65 and 66 of similar construction -,tothe board 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, each board being provided with fourclips 67 and four rest pads 68. In the center of the table 62 is locateda trick holder board 69 identical with that shown in Fig. 6. By looselyarranging the various boards in this manner, they may be readily shiftedto various positions to suit the wishes of the instructor or students. I

Fig. 9 shows a small trapezoidal-shaped board '72 having a single springclip 73 suitably attached thereto. This board is designed to receive acomplete hand of 13 cards which are adapted to be disposed in fanshaperaised position with relation to the board '72 upon a curved taperedcushion pad '74 symmetrically arranged with respect to the clip '73. Thecushion pad '74 is pref-- erably made from half-round soft rubber stockand is preferably cemented on its flat face to the surface of the board'72.

Fig. 10 shows a board having a still further modified form of cushionpad consisting of a resilient metal wire '75 of arcuate shape and spacedfrom a sheet metal spring clip '76 of the construction previouslydescribed. The wire pad 75 is secured to the board '77 by having itsends formed at right-angles thereto and securely imbedded within saidboard. The right-hand end '78 of said wire 75 is preferably made longerthan the left end '79 so that said pad will be, inclined from one end tothe other to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cards, as wellas to increase the friction at the right-hand end.

Operation In the operation of the boards shown in Fig. 8, after thecards of the deck have been dealt, each hand will be sorted as usualintothe-four suits, and will then be frictionally clamped to itsrespective board by the spring clips 67 and supported in fan-likeinclined formation by, the associated cushion pads 68.

In playing the tricks, when the card holding boards 63, 64, 65 or 66 areemployed, the cards played from each hand will be temporarily insertedunder the clips '70 adjacent said board, said cards being preferablyremoved therefrom before the next trick is played. The process will thencontinue until the play of the entire hand is finished.

It is to be understood that various other arrangements of boards insteadof those herein disclosed may be utilized. For instance, the smallerboards '72 and 7'7 may in some cases be interchanged with the boards 63to 66 inclusive,

its

to permit the entire dealt hands to be held displayed instead ofsegregating the suits.

While there have been disclosed in this specification several forms inwhich the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that theseforms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may bemodified and embodied in various other forms without departing from itsspirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications andembodiments coming within the scope of the following ,claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said basefor pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said cliphaving means on its free end for engagement with said cards, and awedge-shaped pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cardsin an inclined position with respect to said base, the sharp edge ofsaid pad member being located adjacent said clip.

2. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said basefor pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said cliphaving a friction member attached to its free end for engagement withsaid cards, and a pad member spaced from said clip for supporting saidcards in an inclined position with respect to said base said pad memberbeing transversely wedgeshaped and longitudinally tapered, the sharpedge of said pad member being located adjacent said clip member.

3. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said basefor pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said cliphaving a friction member attached to its free end for engagement withsaid cards, and a wedge-shaped pad member spaced from said clip forsupporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base,said pad member being arcuate in shape and provided with an embossedfriction surface, the sharp edge of said pad member being locatedadjacent said clip member.

4. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to saidbase, the free end of said clip being provided with a flexible slittedsection, a resilient pad attached to the underside of said slittedsection, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to saidbase for supporting the upper sections of said cards in an elevatedposition with respect to said base.

5. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to saidbase, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said baseand a plurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its freeend, a friction pad secured to the underside of said fingers for holdinga plurality of cards in fan-like formation against the base, and acushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to said base forsupporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base.

6. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to saidbase, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said baseand aplurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its freeend, a transverse V-shaped rib formed on said tapered section forincreasing the resiliency of said clip, a friction pad secured to theunderside of said fingers for holding a pluraiity of cards in fan-likeformation against the base, and a cushion pad spaced from. said clip andattached to said base for supporting said cards in an inclined positionwith respect to said base.

7. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to saidbase, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said baseand a plurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its freeend, a transverse V-shaped rib formed on said tapered section forincreasing the resiliency of said clip, a friction pad secured to theunderside of said fingers for holding a plurality of cards in fan-likeformation against the base, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip andattached to said base for supporting said cards in an inclined positionwith respect to said base, said clip having a pair of downturned lugsadapted to be embedded in said base.

8. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said basefor pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said cliphaving a friction member at its free end for engagement with said cards,and a pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cards in aninclined position with respect to said base in open fan-like formation,the right-hand end of said friction member being smooth to reduce thefriction on the last card of said group.

9. In a card holding device, a base, an arcuate pad secured to said basefor supporting a group of cards in an inclined position with respect tosaid base in open fan-like formation, and a resilient clip member havingone end secured to said base and located along a radius passing throughthe center of curvature of said pad for pressing said cards against saidpad and base, said pad being wedge-shaped transversely with respect toits length and inclined downwardly toward said clip.

10. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to saidbase, said clip having a section spaced from said base and provided witha transverse V-shaped rib for increasing the resiliency of said clip, afriction pad secured to the underside of the free end of said clip forengaging the front of a plurality of exposed cards, and a cushion padspaced from said clip and attached to saidbase for supporting the rearof said cards.

MONROE M. POLLAK.

